Research Shows Nike Mentioned More With Olympics Than '12 Games Sponsor Adidas

Non-Olympic sponsor Nike is the brand “most associated with the 2012 Olympics and is far out-performing Olympic sponsor and rival Adidas,” according to research by digital agency Jam cited by Matthew Chapman of MARKETING magazine. Research on web buzz conducted from Dec. 1-Feb. 7 "shows that Nike is dominating conversations on the internet, with 7.7% of the conversations about the Olympics associated with the brand.” By contrast, adidas is only “pulling in 0.49% of conversations, despite a reported [US$158M] sponsorship deal to be the official Olympic sponsor.” HSBC is receiving “the second-most buzz on the web in relation to the Games, but it is far behind Nike with just 0.68% of the web buzz.” Coca-Cola and British Airways “have come in third and fourth, ahead of Adidas in fifth.” Coca-Cola has come out “on top of the ‘Olympic Sponsors’ social leader board,’ which takes into account Facebook fans, Facebook engagement, Twitter followers and YouTube video views” (MARKETINGMAGAZINE.co.uk, 2/15).
GLOBAL REACH: Coca-Cola Wednesday announced its plans for a global ad campaign around the London Games. The effort, dubbed "Move to the Beat," was created by London-based agency Mother and features a music track called "Anywhere in the World" written by Mark Ronson and Katy B. The ads include 30- and 60-second spots, plus two longer films running two and four minutes. U.S. hurdler David Oliver, Russian runner Kseniya Vdovina, Singaporean archer Dayyan Jaffar and Mexican taekwondo fighter Maria Espinoza appear in the effort (Coca-Cola Co.). In N.Y., Stuart Elliott noted Coca-Cola debuted the “Anywhere in the World” music video on YouTube Wednesday, and the song will “serve as an anthem for Coca-Cola’s Olympic sponsorship efforts.” Coca-Cola Global Senior VP/Sparkling Brands Shay Drohan said the campaign represents “the coming together of pop culture, music, sport and celebrity in London.” Drohan said that there are “also plans for Mr. Ronson and Katy B to perform live in London during the Summer Games.” The commercials will start “running on television this month in Europe and then appear in other countries on a rolling schedule between now and July 27, when the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are scheduled to begin” (NYTIMES.com, 2/15).